How to Train Your Friend
by Joei Write
Summary: Hiccup takes it upon himself to bring an old friend of his back to Berk. However, once arriving, Hiccup discovers that this old friend isn't so apt to life with dragons, and struggles to make him part of the Berk Dragon Academy. Hiccup has only one chance to show his friend the joys of training dragons, or he risks losing his friend forever, while also starting a war.
1. A Memory of Friendship

How to Train Your Friend

By Joei Write

Chapter 1

A Memory of Friendship

The dancing rays of the sun were captured in the evening tides that strutted around the gleaming waters of Berk. Every single wave that moved through the water performed in its own unique way; this was pleasantly appropriate due to the inhabitants of the island, namely Hiccup and his dragon trainers. No one really knew what to think about Hiccup and all of his dragons, friends, and accomplishments; as for Hiccup himself, he was just grateful to be alive. The best dragon trainer on the island was sitting in high places, on the edge of a cliff to be exact, and beside him was his very own dragon, Toothless, the fastest and smartest dragon on Berk. Hiccup leaned back with his arms stretched, and then he exhaled heavily. He had been flying around all day with the Twins doing drills about what you should do if you'd fall off of your dragon and plummet towards the ground. Hiccup and Toothless needed to demonstrate this feat of trust so many times that after a point, Hiccup was actually more physically exhausted than Toothless had been, and they were forced to call it a day.

Regardless of his long training session, Hiccup was still marveling at everything that had happened in the last few months. Not three months ago he had been the runt of his father's heritage, scrapping by every day with more harassment than the last; yet now, he was the most respected viking on the island, befriending and training a Night Fury, and even going so far as to teach the other vikings how to ride dragons for themselves. Two months ago he was having difficulty trying to keep the newly befriended dragons under control, but his father, Stoick the Vast, had more than enough courtesy to give Hiccup and his friends the Dragon Academy as needed. Most recently, Hiccup was feeling grateful to be alive because he had just survived his third extended stay on the dreaded Outcast Island. While he was there, he was held hostage by Alvin and his feared henchmen, ready to be executed at any given moment. By some miracle, Hiccup and Toothless prevailed and made it off the island with no further body parts missing, and made it home to Berk to sleep in their own beds.

The light of the setting sun blinded Hiccup for a moment, and the sudden pain it caused his eyes shocked him back into reality. He covered the light with his hand and squinted, trying to see normally again, and blinked swiftly in succession. Toothless picked his head and tilted it, watching what his friend was doing, though not quite understanding the predicament. Hiccup blinked a few more times, and then shook his head, gaining his normal sight once more. He then turned to Toothless and smiled, shrugging his shoulders. Toothless did his best to smile back as he always did, and Hiccup only giggled at the attempts Toothless always made. Hiccup then got up and walked over to Toothless and laid back down against his side.

"I'll tell you something bud…" And the dragon's ears perked up. "I love how everything has been going lately…but there is one person I wish I could share it all with." Toothless leaned in his head, and Hiccup only patted it and stroked his nose. "Don't get me wrong bud…you're the best friend I've ever had, no doubts. I did have a friend before you though, a long time ago." Toothless rattled his head, clearly intrigued and desired more. Hiccup picked up on this and nodded towards his companion. "Well uh…gees…I haven't had to talk about him in years." The young viking said while reaching to scratch his head. "He's a little older than me…brownish-white hair…green eyes…?" Hiccup shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what his dragon wanted to know. Toothless nudged Hiccup's shoulder, he wanted more. "I…uh…well, his name was Jorvar. He left when he was eight years old, and I don't think we've spoken since." The Night Fury still made grunts and moans. "What more do you want Toothless…a story or something?" And the dragon slightly nodded; Toothless' ability to understand human speech was both a gift and a curse to Hiccup. "Alright then…uh…" And he scoured his mind for a good memory of his old friend. "Oh…I got it…" Hiccup expressed calmly.

It was the beginning of a new spring on the island of Berk, Hiccup's mother had been long since passed away and Stoick was busy as ever running the tribe with the help of Gobber and the other leaders. It was a mildly clear day, though the skies didn't reflect the mood Hiccup was feeling that afternoon. He ran up the stairs of his home and dove under the bed. The little seven year old Hiccup did his best to remain quiet while his playmate in the house scrambled to find him. Hiccup giggled in a playful manner, and tucked his legs and arms further under his bed, trying to conceal himself as much as possible. Hiccup counted to ten, twenty, thirty; he still hadn't been found. Hiccup was convinced that he had won, and gently crept out from underneath the bed and stood up. As he turned around he saw a small plush dragon resting in the palm of his friend's hand. Hiccup screamed and fell backwards onto the floor.

"Ha ha…got you again Hiccup…!" Jorvar taunted his friend and hopped off the bed. Hiccup was grasping his chest as he tried to breathe easy. Jorvar extended his hand to assist Hiccup in standing up, and as he pulled Hiccup up off the brunneous wood that made up the top half of his home, all Hiccup could do was shriek.

"Why would you do that…?" He moaned his complaint to Jorvar. "You know I'm terrified of those…those…dragons!" He screamed and pointed at the small dragon doll that Jorvar was still holding in his hands. Jorvar immediately regretted doing that to Hiccup, as he only meant to spook him.

"I'm sorry Hiccup, I didn't mean to scare you so badly, I was just trying to make you laugh." What he was saying was sincere, and Hiccup knew it, but the principle of how he had gone about his scare could've killed Hiccup.

"Still Jor…that's no reason to used that dragon doll my Mom got me. It looks so mean and spiny, I don't wanna touch it." And Hiccup coward away from the small toy and ran down the stairs to sit by the fire that burned inside his home.

Jorvar felt bad about his attempt to arouse some excitement to the duo's small, but simple game of Hide and Seek. He threw the toy behind him and walked down the stairs and sat next to Hiccup. Both children put their hands out to be warmed by the fire, as it was always burning, lighting up every single winter night and summer evening on Berk for the two friends. After rubbing his hands together, Jorvar placed his shoulder over Hiccup's to try and comfort him, but Hiccup just pulled away and huffed the best he could. Jorvar was saddened by this, but all vikings are stubborn in one way or another. Jorvar thrust his arm over Hiccup more fiercely than before, and he completely grasped Hiccup's neck and pulled him in. Jorvar's knuckles bore down on Hiccup's head and noogied him like he was Stoick. Hiccup laughed out loud as he tried to escape from the lock, and soon, Jorvar and Hiccup had both had enough and Jorvar let go. Hiccup waited until he stopped laughing to say something.

"You know that hurts my head…!" Hiccup exclaimed joyfully while rubbing his scalp. Jorvar chuckled.

"But you like it when I do it anyway." And the two laughed once more. After they took in air for yet another breath of life, Jorvar placed his hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "But really Hiccup…sorry for the thing with the dragon; I didn't know that it would scare you that badly." Jorvar's eyes drowned with sincerity, and Hiccup saw every drop of it.

"It's okay Jor…I just really don't like dragons…they're so…spooky…" Hiccup wrapped his arms around himself and shook upon ending the sentence, but Jorvar's mind had created an idea.

"Hey Hiccup…" And the young viking turned to Jorvar. "Let's make a pact right now…when it comes to dragons, let's promise to always have each other's backs…I'll keep a Night Fury's eye on yours if you'll do the same for mine." Hiccup was terrified of dragons, this was true, but in his heart, he thought that as long as Jorvar was there, how badly could it truly end? Hiccup smiled, moved his hand out and spit on it. He then reached out to Jorvar.

"Deal…" And Jorvar spat on his own hand as well, and then the two shook.

"Deal…" Jorvar announced with pride.

"And that's it bud…nothing more to it." Hiccup finished his tale to Toothless. The dragon had been listening intently the entire time, and it wasn't long before he saw the sadness come back into Hiccup's eyes. "There's no point though. Jorvar's parents decided to leave Berk after the dragon's attacks became more frequent…actually…they were the only family to do so. Huh…guess the stubborn part of our forefathers didn't carry over to them, huh bud?" Toothless snorted, his way of laughing. Hiccup then stared out back over the water towards the setting sun. He noticed that his memory must've taken longer to explain than he thought it would, as the sun was now touching the water, and had turned a dark orange, red color. Hiccup stood up and stretched his arms over his head, and then he sighed. "Oh well, I guess we'd better start heading back bud. On the bright side, this is a great time for our evening flight." Toothless roared, happy that their daily flight around the island at sunset was about to be undergone, it was one of Toothless' favorite things to do with Hiccup.

The sky was dark when the two finally touched back down on the ground with a massive thud. Toothless' black wings blended effortlessly with the night sky as they landed in front of Hiccup's house. Before long, they walked into the front door, heard it creak as it always had, and across the room, Hiccup saw his father Stoick eating mutton. He watched his dad guzzle some water down with the meat, and once Stoick set the mug down, he finally took noticed of his son and the dragon. "Hiccup…good to see you son; how's the dragon training been going…?" And he took another swig of water and meat.

Hiccup never truly knew how to speak to his father, even after everything that he had done. Though, in this position he really didn't have time to think, so he talked the way he usually did. "Oh it was just fine. I now know that I have two dragon trainers who don't entirely trust their dragon…so I had to fall off Toothless over and over again to demonstrate. My body couldn't take anymore falling!" He complained and threw his hands up. Stoick laughed, he never had such problems with his Thunder Drum, Thornado. Hiccup felt a need to change the subject, so he thought he'd inquire about Jorvar. "Hey Dad, can I ask you something…?" Stoick put down his food and listened.

"Sure, go ahead." And placed his fist against his head; he had a look as if he wasn't curious, but as a father, he needed to listen.

"Do you remember…you know…Jorvar Asvald…the sixth…? He was my playmate when I was a lot younger…?" Stoick's eyes widened.

"Well…I was convinced you'd forgotten about him a long time ago. Good lad, strong willed, brave heart…he was a true Asvald." Hiccup silenced his dad in a polite way, as he wasn't done.

"Uh…yeah him…where did he and his family go…? And what ever happened to them…?" Stoick rubbed his chin and snapped his fingers.

"I know this…I got a letter from them a few years ago." With that, he stood up and walked over to a chest behind them. He popped the lock and picked up a stack of paper and scurried through them as he walked back over to the table with his dinner on it. The huge viking tossed aside many papers until finding the desire one. "Here it is…" And he reread it. "It says that they settled down in Wintersbreath. That's quite a ways from here…on the shoreline of the mainland actually; it also says that the family took up leatherworking, making hides and skin clothing. Quite a respectable profession…" Hiccup got a little ahead of himself a blurted out,

"Do you think we can send him a letter…?!" Stoick and Toothless both looked at Hiccup confused.

"What for son…?"

"To ask them to come back…! The dragon threat is over…they'd have better lives here now. We have no shortage of skins for them to use, and trade ships pass through here every couple days. It'd expand their business all over the place!" Hiccup threw up in arms for his last reason, and it all seemed very credible. Stoick pondered this, as he wasn't so sure if it was a good idea.

"I'll leave this up to you Hiccup. They were more your friends than mine. If you choose to send Jorvar a letter, I'll throw in a good word as well."

There was no hesitation, Hiccup instantly ran upstairs to his room, pulled out a piece of parchment and quill with ink and wrote faster than he had ever before in his whole life. He included in the letter all that had happened to him on Berk. His friend Toothless, talking to his new friends, starting a Dragon Academy; it all seemed like the perfect letter to Hiccup, and before long, Stoick marked it and put in that good word. Hiccup encased the letter and placed it on his desk, thrilled to send it. Toothless was also excited, as he felt an odd urge to meet this old friend of Hiccup's, he didn't feel threatened, but more so a sense of curiosity.

The trade ship passed through Berk in a number of days, and with it leaving, it also carried the letter across the sea towards Wintersbreath. Hiccup watched from the dock as the boat pulled away, Toothless by his side. He scratched Toothless' neck, and the dragon purred. "He'll get it bud, he's got to. I mentioned that the dragon attacks have stopped. I guess now we just have to waited and see." The hope in Hiccup and his dragon grew, but the further the ship sailed away, Hiccup also found himself growing more and more fearful with each passing moment. He only wished that Jorvar would at least consider returning, for if the two were reunited, it'd spark an old friendship that Hiccup was sure would benefit not just himself, but the whole Dragon Academy as well.


	2. Aerodynamics of Complusion

How to Train Your Friend

Chapter 2

Aerodynamics of Compulsion

Sunlight rose and fell over the island of Berk for many weeks after Hiccup and Toothless watched the ship carrying their letter to Jorvar leave the dock. It had been nearly two months since Hiccup felt a part of himself drift out to sea with his letter, and so far, there had been no signs that his summon was heeded. There was nothing that he could do regardless; life on the island of Berk went on as normal. Stoick brushed off that the letter had been sent to begin with and returned to focusing on his duties as chief. Hiccup did his best to continue teaching the students of the Berk Dragon Academy all that he had to offer as far as training, but more than often his mind would drift like the ship into thought and get lost at sea. His small feats of loss that were demonstrated at random times didn't go unnoticed by the other dragon trainers.

The most prominent stand out that he was hurting was the fact that every time training was done for the day, Hiccup would retreat with Toothless around the island, scouring for ships and other boats, hoping to hear some news or to find his friend. However, every day ended the same as the one before it. He'd maybe find one ship every few days, but it'd just be traders coming to or from the island looking to make a profit. At one point he had found a ship whose crew said that all merchant instructed with delivering a message were usually tardy about it, as they sail for money, not closure. And so his dampened mood remained, and there was still not a thing that Hiccup or his Night Fury Toothless could do but stay seated, and hope that Jorvar would come through.

This trend of depression continued to accelerate in Hiccup's mind as he sat on Toothless' back on yet another aimless day of waiting for Jorvar to show his face on the island of Berk. The water was dimly shimmering with the sun that was still high in the sky, as the clouds were rolling overhead against the strong blue, daytime ceiling. Hiccup fastened himself to his Night Fury, his equal, his friend. He then gave Toothless a mild kick in the side and made him swiftly fly to another rock to panorama around the crags and formations that lined the island. Still, there was nothing he could see, just endless ocean, like a prison wall keeping his friend out of his grasp.

Hiccup and Toothless suddenly heard another cry, one that was very distinct and was quite the head turner. They spun around and saw Astrid dive out of the sky, obviously, she was riding Stormfly. They dipped in danger and broke the wind that was rushing past them to gently land on the ground next to Toothless. Hiccup could see the concern on Astrid's face, and he immediately knew what this conversation was going to be about. "You're always running off like this after class. Is there something you want to talk about?" She made a hand gesture over her shoulder, swatting a fly or otherwise, Hiccup received the message.

"It's just that…" Hiccup knew that all of the friends that Astrid had ever known were all still on Berk, so she wouldn't understand his dilemma, but she was still a good friend, and it was tough to hide anything from her. "I figured that Jorvar would've at least sent some indication that he saw the letter by now. I mean…even if he decided not to come back, he could've at least responded. I know that Vikings are stubborn and all but…but…" Hiccup couldn't finish the thought, he was too frustrated. Toothless sensed the aggravation, and nudged Hiccup from below. Hiccup felt the movement and smiled. "Thanks bud…I'll be fine though…"

"Well…" Astrid began. "Maybe the wait will go by faster with a little friendly competition. How about a race…?" She teased, as fast as she knew Stormfly was getting with her steady diet of chicken, she knew that it still wasn't enough to beat Hiccup on his Night Fury. Hiccup shot Astrid a look of confusion and oddity, and he seemed to respond without saying anything, but Astrid refused to give him a choice. "Great…" She boasted loudly. "See you there…" And with a gale of win, Stormfly and her rider were gone. Hiccup fixed the ruffle in his hair the wind had caused, and Toothless growled, eager to protect his title as fastest dragon on Berk.

"Fine…let's go bud…" Hiccup said and clicked Toothless' tail into place. Not a second later, they were slicing through the air, gaining swift ground on the Deadly Nadder that was already far ahead of them.

Hiccup leaned forward as to reduce the air drag and increase his speed. Astrid turned around and saw them getting closer to her, and she moved up and whispered into Stormfly's earhole. With a subtle motion, Stormfly swirled her tail in a circular motion and let loose several spines off of her tail, darting backwards towards Hiccup and Toothless. It was one of Astrid's nasty tests; she was always doing that to Hiccup. "Toothless…plasma blast…!" The order escaped Hiccup's mouth in timelessness, and Toothless shot his signature bolt at the spines and they each blew to bits separately. Toothless flew up next to Stormfly and Hiccup gave Astrid another glance, this time of determination. "So…where is the finish line to this race exactly…?" He asked her, the wind breaking the voices that echoed.

"I was thinking your house…first to land in front of your house wins." And she spun underneath Hiccup and increased her speed, plowing through the air towards Hiccup's house in the main village.

Hiccup refused to lose at his own event, there was no beating their team, everyone on Berk knew it, and even Snotlout admitted it on rare occasion. Hiccup changed the tail setting for Toothless and ducked even further down to make themselves more aerodynamic, and after that, everything was a blur. Astrid saw a scalding black flash tear through the sky next to her, and the aftermath of wind didn't even hit her until a few seconds later. Hiccup held his grip, as he'd only gone this fast on Toothless for the rarest of occasions. The sky and land came at them like lightning, and Hiccup felt the land beneath his feet in the blink of an eye. Astrid flew down to meet him a few moment later, accepting defeat, but Hiccup knew that this was only to take his mind off of Jorvar, even if it was for just a minute. The She-Viking and dragoness grounded themselves and walked up to Hiccup, extending a hand.

"Well done Hiccup…you're still the fastest on Berk." Astrid was an honest Viking, but Hiccup was hesitant to shake hands.

"I know why you did that Astrid, and I appreciate it, I really do." Hiccup smiled, and reconsidered the handshake, but Astrid withdrew her hand and instead approached Hiccup in full body and embraced him in a whole hug. Hiccup wrapped his arms around Astrid and squeezed, feeling her friendship radiate like the heat of dragon's fire. Astrid returned the grip, slightly harder than Hiccup, but she could tell that he didn't mind. It lasted several moments, and Hiccup was the first to pull away. "Suddenly…life isn't so bad without Jorvar." Hiccup proclaimed with a treasured grin. Astrid put her hands on her hips and grinned with one side of her mouth like she always had, and then she felt herself grow compassionate.

The moment was broken by Fishlegs suddenly hovering by on Meatlug and yelling their names. "Hiccup…Astrid…!" They nailed their gaze in, and then both looked to their hovering friend in unison. "There's a boat heading towards Berk, it's about to dock…we think you'll like who's on it!" And Fishlegs flew away with his Gronckle. Hiccup looked at Astrid; he saw that she was slightly disoriented, for if the Viking he was hoping for was on the ship, her short lived effort would be wasted.

"Astrid…if Jorvar is down there…it won't make a difference. I really am grateful for what you tried to do." Hiccup tried to give her the condolence that she deserved, but Astrid only seemed disappointed.

"It's fine Hiccup…let's go meet your friend." And she walked towards the dock planks. Hiccup only sighed.

"Stay here bud…" He told Toothless, "I think we should wait to tell Jorvar about Berk training dragons."

It was a joined effort, but both Hiccup and Astrid made their way down to the dock to welcome Jorvar, if it truly was him. As they walked down the wooden bridges to the docking area, they saw the ship was still coming in, as it was close, but hadn't fully anchored. Hiccup stood his ground as he watched the ship finish its venture and halt its sails and drop anchor, tying itself down and fastening the lines. Hiccup and Astrid both held their breaths, and then they breathed relief, it was him. The still young Viking proudly hopped off the ship, leaving his parents onboard behind and running to Stoick. Stoick scooped him up in his arms and hugged the little lad like he had been his own son, even though after the letter was sent he had ignored him. All of Hiccup's other friend ran to greet Jorvar as well while the parents gave their strength to get Jorvar's belonging off of the ship they had arrived on. From far away, all Hiccup could hear was idle chatter. Astrid sensed his distress.

"Something wrong Hiccup…?" She asked him.

"I just thought of something that I hadn't considered before." And Astrid got closer, intrigued. "What if…when Jorvar finds out that we train dragons now…he starts acting like Mildew? What if he hates dragons with a passion, claims he'll never ride them?" Astrid patted his shoulder.

"You're overthinking this thing again Hiccup. If he's half the Viking you've built him up to be, he'll be a fine dragon trainer." Hiccup wanted to believe her, in this moment, with his friend only a few short steps away, how could he not?

Hiccup and Astrid finished the walk down to the dock where Jorvar had landed, and Hiccup tried his luck once more. "Jorvar…!" He screamed and waved his hand up high. Jorvar turned around and through Hiccup's entire group of friends, he saw him. Jorvar's faced became bioluminescent, a crackling fire, a shooting star across the sky. This was the reason he had come back, this was the moment he had endured weeks of sea travel for, it was all for this moment when he would be reunited with Hiccup again. Jorvar sliced through the small crowd of Vikings gathered around the ship and barged towards Hiccup.

"Hiccup…!" He hollered towards him, his playmate, and childhood ragdoll. Hiccup couldn't run well, not with his metal leg, so he steeled himself to the ground and waited. Jorvar nearly set the wood of the dock on fire he was running towards Hiccup so fast, and before either of them knew it, Jorvar dove into Hiccup. Both toppled to the floor boards of the pier, and both cracked up laughing as Jorvar got up off of Hiccup and pulled him to his feet. "Gees Hiccup…" Jorvar started. "I can't believe it's you…! You look so much different, I hardly recognize you bud." Jorvar was a kindhearted spirit; he wasn't one to use such words as bud, pal, or dude.

"I know…I feel different too. But you Jorvar…" Hiccup said and gestured to all of him. "You've changed even more than I had. What happened to that whitening hair of yours?" Hiccup asked Jorvar. It was true, Jorvar appearance had changed. His hair was now browner than it was white, and his eyes had changed from green to a green-gray mix. He was still slightly taller than Hiccup was, but that was nothing more than a mild age difference. He wore a well-crafted fur vest and boots, and silky shirt and pants. It was definitely a notable change in the would-be dragon trainer, something Hiccup was itching to tell him about.

"I'm not sure what happened to my hair…it just kind of…stopped going white. Weird huh…?" And Hiccup nodded. Jorvar then took noticed of Astrid standing behind Hiccup. "Astrid…I see you haven't changed at all."

"Nice to see you Asvald…" Astrid said with a sneer. Jorvar backed off immediately, but then spun right back around to Hiccup.

"So Hiccup…now that I'm back on Berk…what are we going to do first? Go swimming…? Hike the trails…? Raid some dragon's nests…?" This was where the inevitable truth was going to come out, Hiccup could sense it.

"Yeah…about that Jorvar; look there's been a really big change on Berk since you've been gone and I think it'd be best if you just…" Jorvar was paying full attention, as he was very curious, but the loud and grinding roar of Toothless, peering over the edge of the cliff and jumping down after a short glide, slamming onto the dock and running up to Hiccup made Jorvar's fear manifest. "Yeah…we uh…we train dragons on Berk now…" There, he had said it, the truth was out. Jorvar was feeling a mix of shock and petrification, and his body reacted the only way it could. The bump was heard, and Jorvar's body was flat on the dock.

Stoick took notice of this and walked over to Jorvar and picked his body up and placed it over his shoulder while Gobber closed his parents' mouths. Stoick hauled Jorvar past Hiccup and Astrid and chuckled over his shoulder. "He took it better than I thought he would…"And he laughed harder walking up the dock planks.

"Yes…a Viking fainting at realizing his home has drastically changed is drop dead hilarious…" Hiccup said, Toothless and Astrid following Stoick up to their house. It was there that Jorvar would be given refuge until the truth sunk in, which by the looks of things wouldn't be for days.


	3. All Too Close

How to Train Your Friend

Chapter 3

All Too Close

The tingling sensations of the world began to slowly creep back into Jorvar's body as his regained consciousness. His eyes had nearly blacked out for good, and his head was pounding as if it was an anvil getting hammered upon. He heard subtle noises around him, breathing, birds chirping, slicing of meat, talking that felt as if it was coming from below him; he couldn't describe his state if you had threatened him, he was far too dazed and confused. Jorvar felt a hand draw near, the air around him told him so, and this hand wrapped around his neck and pulled him up. He felt the hand let go and retreat as he sat up in what he now realized was a bed. The wood that made the headboard was smooth, but splinters were always still a risk from something made by Vikings. He felt breath fly through his nose and out into the open, and he inhaled once more. It was then that his eyes flickered and opened, just enough to see blurry images around him. To his left he saw what appeared to be another person, shorter, brown hair, casual attire. On the right sat a very tall, pitch black person, and what massive ears did Jorvar see on this person. He also swore he could make out the outline of wings protruding from this person back, but he only assumed he was crazy. Jorvar hadn't remembered a thing, all he could remember was arriving on Berk, meeting Hiccup again, and after that, it was all a bowl of soaked, week old mutton.

Jorvar blinked his eyes a few times in an attempt to make the visions around him clearer, but as he did, all he heard was an eerily familiar voice say quietly, "He's starting to come back to us bud…you might want to step out for this." And then he heard several loud footsteps go down what sounded like a flight of stairs. The shoulders he called his own began to aches with a burning twist, and he found that his hand moved to them and rubbed on his own without commanding it to do so. The hand then moved its circular motions to his chest, and then his arms. Jorvar felt a different hand get placed on his shoulder, and through the blur, he saw it was his friend, Hiccup. "Hey Jorvar…feeling better…?"

Jorvar groaned and stopped massaging his arms and put his hands on his sides. "Yeah…somewhat…I don't really remember what happen though. We were talking and then…that's it…" Hiccup grew meek at hearing this, for now he realized that he'd have to explain to Jorvar the truth of Berk and their dragons yet again, and it was already painful enough the first time around. Hiccup wasn't too pleased to hear that he'd need to repeat himself, especially on this manner, so instead he tried avoiding the subject a little longer.

"Well…as long as you're feeling better. You know, Jorvar, everyone on the island is glad that you're back. Berk was missing something all these years that the Asvald family was gone. I heard that you picked up leatherworking. That's a nifty thing to be able to do." Hiccup was trying the classic honey-and-the-hatchet; it was the only thing that he could think of before he delivered the bad news to Jorvar once more. Jorvar smiled at his friend's compliment, he needed some praise right now.

"Thank Hiccup, I actually made everything that my parents and I are wearing. I got pretty good at making clothes and sheaths for the weapons our neighbors made. It was quite a profitable alliance that we had going on." It was then that Jorvar remembered why he and his family had come back to Berk in the first place. The idea dawned on his, and he was eager to tell Hiccup as such. "That reminds me…the whole reason my family and I came back was because of what was in that letter you sent us. The way you illustrated the boom our business could make here on Berk with all these passing trade ships; with that kind of expansion, our leatherworking will be known around the world, to Vikings everywhere." Jorvar was still too weak to put any power into the words behind his vision, but he knew that the results would be extremely profitable. "Yeah, the way you and Gobber make weapons…combining that with our leather…we'll make plenty of living here." That was the cut off, as Gobber no longer made weapons to kill, he was a dragon dentist now, and the only weapons made were for fighting back the Outcasts, and they hadn't even attempted an attack in weeks. Hiccup knew this, and he could wait no longer to break the ice that coated his friend's inner bliss.

"Yeah…uh, Jorvar…" Jorvar was taken by surprise at Hiccup's sudden tone. "There a reason that you passed out on the dock. And I also realize that you're probably not going to like hearing this…again…" Hiccup was doing his best, and he had slightly more confidence in saying it, as he already knew what the worst possible outcome could be. Jorvar pulled the covers of the bed off of him and sat up, facing Hiccup, who was on the side of the bed away from the stairs. Jorvar heard the crackling of the fire on the lower floor, but to him, the room he was in only got colder as Hiccup's news approached.

Jorvar was eager to hear this news, for since it caused him to pass out the first time it struck him, he was building a mental dam as protection from the volley that was about to besiege him. "Well…what is it…?" He wanted to stall this barrage no longer. The inner pain that was beginning to build by Hiccup holding this news in was starting to feed on Jorvar's inductions. Hiccup had no choice, he had already stabbed Jorvar with this news once before, and he had been as direct as Stoick, this time should be no different in his mind.

"Jorvar…the reason you passed out is because I told you…" He inhaled, just in case, "Berk no longer kills dragons. We train them, ride them, live alongside them…" Hiccup spoke to his pale fingers as he said this, too frightened to stare down his old friend. After his delivery was complete, Hiccup scratched to look at Jorvar, and once he did, all he saw was a blank stare. Hiccup was lost to time, it could've been minutes, seconds, or even hours before Jorvar even breathed. Jorvar slowly moved his now frigid hand to his head and caressed it, intertwining his fingers into his hair and rubbing his head. Leaving his hand on his head in this manner, Jorvar placed the elbow of that arm on his knee and leaned over, looking as if he was reckoning to cry. He sniffed in the slime of his nose, and breathed slowly.

"So I wasn't hearing things…" It all came back to him. Hiccup had bombarded this news to him on the dock, and the loss of the event was by his head hitting the evergreen wood of the dock. "Why…why Hiccup…? Why would you train dragons? They're monsters…" Jorvar was still too disoriented to raise his voice or get passionate about his argument, so all he could do was add solemn tone to his voice.

"They're not as monstrous as you might think Jorvar…my dragon, Toothless…he saved my life before." Jorvar looked up from this statement, still not removing his hand from his brown-white hair.

"I'll believe that went I see it." And he stood up, taking his hand away from his head at long last. Hiccup watched him walk around the bed and head down the wooden steps, each one creaking as he did so. The young dragon trainer followed after him, stopping at the top of the stairs.

"Jorvar…where are you going…?" He called and quivered at once.

"I'm going for a walk…I need to be alone…" He ignored Stoick and Gobber, as they had been sitting right there around the table in the corner of the room. Toothless was curled up into a ball on the side of the fire, and Jorvar didn't acknowledge his presence either.

Hiccup dragged himself down the stairs after the sunlight poured in from the outside, and then vanished again as they heard the door shut, not slam. He arrived at the bottom and all the others looked at him, not with disappointment, but more a sense of curiosity. Toothless gurgled in his mouth, the usual foaming noise that he made which blended with the sound of the melodious fire that burned. Hiccup's every step echoed through the cabin and to the ears of his being, his heart ached and his own self-inflicted insanity grew like fungus on undercooked lamb. He sat down at the table with his father and old mentor, and before they said anything, he decided to be the one to bash the shields of hope together in a battle cry of shame.

"Well…he's feeling better overall…not so sure about his aspirations specifically though. He's clearly not too fond of training dragons." Stoick patted Hiccup's shoulder in a fatherly manner.

"Don't worry about that son, explaining the circumstance to his parents was no easy task either. They nearly got back in the boat and left again. This'll be a lot of work Hiccup, but we need to show the Asvald family that Berk can continue life _with_ dragons instead of against them. Gobber and I will continue to work on his parents, but you and your friends need to personally break Jorvar in. I wouldn't want him running off again, and I'm sure you wouldn't either." Hiccup nodded his head. Gobber added,

"If Jorvar ends up refusing to live with dragons half as much as Mildew, he may just join the Outcasts…that could be deadly for Berk. We need to show him how good dragons can be." Hiccup shook his head.

"I already tried that Gobber. I told him that Toothless saved my life, he just…didn't believe me." Stoick sighed.

"Fear not Hiccup…we'll think of something. For now, go follow Jorvar around with Toothless, make sure he doesn't get into any trouble. Berk may be at peace, but this is still a dangerous island." Hiccup nodded and his father's request, and he turned around to Toothless and gestured for the dragon to follow him outside. Toothless had heightened intelligence like no other dragon did, for that, he understood the signal and the two disappeared outside. Hiccup mounted his friend, and the two vanished into the clear, teal sky of that morning.

There were no set paths on Berk, no trails for forlorn hikers to travel, and no brown highways to sojourn on, only woods, cliffs, and bays were to be found on the island. It was through these diverse areas that Jorvar found himself wandering, kicking the sand on the coarse beaches, inhaling the wondrous odors of the evergreens that lined the forests, and scaling the heights of the cliffs and ridges towards the center of the mass. He sat atop a rock that was very high, so high that he could see the sky and the horizon line, with enough room in his sight to make out the line of Mildew's cottage and the rest of the village. One could say that he was sitting proudly upon the entire island's highest point. Below him was everything Berk held dear, the water, vegetation, and livestock. He sat and thought, wondered, dreamt, and enhanced all that had happened since he returned. His friends had forsaken the ways of their forefathers to have peace with the very beasts that they swore were their enemies. Logically, yes, ethical, possibly. Jorvar was still thinking over the right and the wrong with the setting, as he'd never seen himself as friends with a person who rode a dragon instead of mounting it's head on the wall as a trophy and wearing its skin as battle armor.

"Why…?" He said aloud at last, as he hadn't spoken a word since he left Hiccup's home. "Why…Thor…Odin…why must you task such an ordinary Viking like myself with trials like this? Has my family not been sufficient to you? What must I do…?" He proclaimed every word to the evermore sky above him, that still grasped its transcendental blue prisms.

He had decided it had been enough; it was time for him to return to the village. He'd been out on his own for a substantial time, he had compiled his thoughts, and his mind was ready to speak for itself. He stood up from the rocks atop Berk, but his vision went white, and his head stung with hornet's bite. He grasped his head, he screamed, he knew not why this sudden pain had struck him, but it was unbearable, he couldn't stand it. His screams turned to groans, and his feet started to shuffle, flailing his upper half trying to eject the pain. Where there was once ground, solid rock, there was now air, wind and pure nothing. The flailing continued, and sent Jorvar right over the cliff side. He didn't realize he was falling until the pain finally vanished due to the air rushing past him and making his clothes dance in the wind. He wasn't scared, just stunned. He bid the top of the cliff farewell as he accelerated towards the beach that rested below, and his eyes became entranced by the sheer beauty of the natural cliff. He'd been counting the seconds after he accepted his fall, one, two, three, and four. It all stopped, his vertical decent was replaced by thick black claws vice griping his leg and yanking him to the side. His fall was now going horizontally; Jorvar never knew you could fall to the side like this.

"Jorvar…!" He heard, and snapped his bond to his trance. His enlightenment unfolded itself, and he saw now where he was. Hiccup's dragon, Toothless, had caught him as he was falling over the cliff. The air rushing past him now was a mix of the beat of Toothless' wings and the blades of wind Toothless used to fly ever faster. The land was quiet, quiet as he midnight tides. Toothless set Jorvar gently down onto the ground, and set down himself afterwards. Hiccup jumped off the dragon with satisfaction, and then he walked over to his friend to help him up. "You alright Jorvar…? I saw you fall." Jorvar stood up easily, but he was still rattled.

"Yeah…I'm fine. I guess I should stand up a little slower next time. When you stand up too fast, you get this really buzzing pain in your head."

"I know…that's happened to me before." Hiccup concluded Jorvar's theory. Jorvar then stole a gaze at his rescuer, Toothless.

"I don't like dragons Hiccup…" It was a drastic change in subject. "But you were right, Toothless did just save my life. For that I'll make you a deal…" Hiccup was adding hope to his attitude in this moment. "I'll give you one chance to show me why living with dragons can be a good thing; if not…I don't want you bothering me about them ever again. Deal…?" And he extended his hand. There was no hesitation from Hiccup.

"Deal…you'll be riding a dragon in no time…" A smile bled its way onto Hiccup's face. Jorvar only crossed his arms.

"I doubt that…"

They made their way home, walking of course by Jorvar's request. The Asvald family was still in the process of building their own home, so Jorvar slept in Hiccup's room that night. Hiccup himself was eager to show Jorvar what it took to train a dragon, but was still worrisome as to what might happen should he fail his friend. Jorvar was nervous to get near a dragon at all, but he promised Hiccup he'd give it a chance, and that was enough to take the incentive.


End file.
